Post navigation

Maddie James aka Sophia Jacobs

1. I hear you have a “puppy nanny” heroine in your novel, The Dating Game. Tell us about the book.

I do have a puppy nanny! Lyssa Larkin is really no expert on puppies though–or men for that matter! But she decides to forgo dating to spend some time with other people’s dogs. She walks them, house-sits them, even sometimes takes care of them in her home. And all is well and life is good until… Until she crosses the puppy nanny line and starts to fall in love with Paws and Buttercup, a set of retrievers that belong to someone else. That someone is Mack Roberts, and he’s none too happy that his duo have not been crated and that Lyssa is breaking his “no dogs sleeping in human beds” rule.

Suzie Hart is earning quite the reputation as a matchmaking chef in the small town of Harbor Falls, North Carolina. Can she navigate the dating game for Lyssa Larkin?

When puppy nanny, Lyssa Larkin, tells her friends she has given up on dating and is devoting her life to dogs, Suzie realizes it’s time to take matters into her own hands. She sets up a series of speed dating lunches for Lyssa at Sweet Hart Inn, designed to help the former Harbor Falls High Homecoming Queen meet as many men as possible in a short time period. Suzie knows Lyssa needs a push and some confidence—but soon realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Lyssa inspects and rejects her dates in two bites and sends them on their way. Suzie wonders if Lyssa really wants to date or just eat double lunches and worries that soon Lyssa’s hips won’t fit her dainty dining room chairs.

That is until Suzie is approached by a potential suitor who is falling for Lyssa hard and fast—one who isn’t on Suzie’s original radar screen—and can’t help working her matchmaking magic behind the speed dating scene. But will Lyssa reject this suitor as well?

The Dating Game continues the Harbor Falls, Sweet Hart Inn romance series featuring Suzie Hart’s matchmaking antics. If you like a little humor with your romance, a bit of culinary expertise mashed up with snappy dialogue, imperfect characters, and a happily-ever-after ending, then perhaps The Dating Game is for you.

Mack rescued Paws and Buttercup but in truth, they sort of rescued him. Isn’t that the way it is with pets? My Sophie came into my life when I had this fleeting thought of rescuing a dog, made a mad dash through a rescue website, and within a couple of weeks, I was the new mommy to a white fluffy puppy with high energy and adorable eyes. I was a goner. And who saved who?

Sophie Today

Sophie forced me to take care of someone else other than me. It was a task I was up to although sometimes I wondered! But we got through potty training and the chewing and destuffing stages, and now nearly 6 years later she is my loyal companion.

Sophie is part Great Pyrenees and part herding dog (so says the DNA test). I think the herding dog is either Australian Shepherd or Border Collie. She’s also supposed to have a bit of Chow and German Shepherd in her. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. She’s my girl!

3. What other romances have you written?

Quite a few, actually. As Sophie Jacobs, I write contemporary romance and women’s fiction. I’ve been primarily focusing on my Harbor Falls Romance series the past year. I do have a women’s fiction work-in-progress. Sophie is a relatively new pen name, however. I’ve been writing romance fiction since 1997 as Maddie James. Collectively, Maddie and Sophie have published over 40 romance titles. Maddie writes western/cowboy romance, paranormal, and romantic suspense.

You might want to check out my Harbor Falls Romance Series (by Sophie Jacobs), or my Montana McKennas cowboy series (by Maddie James), or if you are into time travel, My Soul Mates series (by Maddie James).

4. How do you promote your books?

Because I am mostly an introvert with a full-time and demanding day job, I find it difficult to be social online right now–so I do not do a lot of social media interaction. I realize that this likely is to my detriment. I’m also very remiss in blogging these days–a fact that I know I want to remedy. The best way to keep up with me and my release schedule is to visit my website (www.maddiejames.com) and to sign up for my newsletter .

I hope to see you around!

5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?

INVITATION: I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will join in the fun and share photos of their pets! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. To leave a comment and a photo, click on the word “Replies,” which is just below the social media icons for this interview. Go Pets!

It was nice to get to know you Sophie’s thru Marcia James!! I can’t wait to read one of your books
This attached file is just one of our rescue babies! This is Wall-E our miniture Schnauzer. He is such a good boy! Except for his darn barking. We are working on that?

Will have to try one of the Sophia Jacobs books – love the rescue dogs and cats in books. I am proudly owned currently by 2 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats – so our house is all evened up – 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 people. And lots more books!!!

One of my newsletter subscribers was having trouble posting photos of her wonderful dogs. Here’s what Cheryl L. said: “This is my Levi and Keiko! Keiko is 17 years old and is a Border Collie/Shepard mix Levi is 3 years old and is a Catahoula/Plothound mix!”